I. ˈprōˌfāz noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary pro- (I) + phase; originally formed in German
: the initial phase of mitosis in which chromosomes are condensed from the resting form and split into paired chromatids
• pro·pha·sic (ˈ)prō|fāzik adjective
II. noun
: the initial stage of meiosis in which the chromosomes become visible, homologous pairs of chromosomes undergo synapsis and become shortened and thickened, individual chromosomes become visibly double as paired chromatids, chiasmata occur, and the nuclear membrane disappears — compare diakinesis in the Dict diplotene in the Dict leptotene in the Dict pachytene in the Dict zygotene in the Dict